Dead Island Riptide Game Review

Fans of the first Dead Island game will probably not be surprised by the gist of any Dead Island: Riptide review they happen to come across. They will love the fact that the game features more of the same, and they will be frustrated by the game also keeping some of the original’s flaws.

Dead Island: Riptide offers plenty of gory fun, and it meshes that well with various RPG elements, but it’s hard to shake the notion that this is a true sequel. It feels more like an expansion pack that didn’t try very hard at all.

Looking Into Dead Island: Riptide

Fans of the first game certainly got a lot of pleasure out of discovering the various ways to rip those zombies to shreds. They also enjoyed the ability to loot the zombies for goodies, build up characters, and create machines from humble beginnings. They definitely liked the nicely-done combination of chaos and cooperation in co-op. All of these things can be found in Dead Island: Riptide. The problem is that there’s really nothing about the game that’s been improved upon. That would be fine if the previous installment had been perfect, but since it wasn’t, players may find themselves quickly growing frustrated with the way this game seems perfectly content to settle for less.

If you’re looking for nothing more than zombie destruction with RPG touches, then you’ll probably have a great time with Dead Island: Riptide. You won’t even mind things like a shoddy story, lousy cut scenes, substandard voice-acting, and graphic glitches whose severity depends on which system you play the game on (PS3 is the worst, and the PC version is the best). Repetition is the name of the game here, and if you don’t want anything from your game more elaborate than slaughtering zombies, Dead Island: Riptide is a worthy purchase. It’s those who were hoping for something more that are going to be disappointed. Those who weren’t all that impressed with the last game will likely want to avoid this update at all costs.

Is it even really an update? That’s up to you. There are some new zombies, some of which are quite well-made, a new character, and a few new vehicles. That’s really just about it. The RPG elements of the game are thankfully strong enough to cut through some of that repetition, but that only goes but so far. The campaign and side quests should keep you busy for a while, but only if that aforementioned repetition doesn’t bother you. If the novelty of creative dismemberment can only carry you but so far, you’re probably not going to be all that eager to stick around. Not being able to go back and finish up your side quests after completing the main campaign is yet another annoying aspect.